[ST. PAUL, MN] – Today, Governor Tim Walz announced new executive action on climate change, signing Executive Order 19-37 to establish the Climate Change Subcabinet and the Governor’s Advisory Council on Climate Change. Building on existing interagency collaboration and climate-related initiatives, the Subcabinet and the Advisory Council will guide the Walz-Flanagan Administration in the pursuit of bold and collaborative action to combat climate change.

“Climate change threatens the very things that make Minnesota a great place to live—from our wonderful lakes to farmable land and clean air,” Walz said. “Building on the bold action our Administration has taken already, this subcabinet will help put our state at the forefront of finding solutions to climate change. Together, we can tackle climate change, create good-paying jobs, and pioneer the clean energy economy.”

The state’s 2007 Next Generation Energy Act set statutory goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but Minnesota has fallen short of reaching these goals. The Subcabinet will be tasked with identifying policies and strategies that will put Minnesota back on track to meet or exceed the goals, identify challenges and opportunities to mitigate climate change, and create a public engagement framework to provide a platform for dialogue about climate change mitigation and resilience solutions. The Advisory Council will be made up of up to 15 members appointed by the Governor to represent different perspectives and experiences and will advise the Subcabinet in its duties.

“This executive order takes Minnesota to the next level of action against the devastating effects of climate change,” said Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan. “We can only combat climate change if we do it together. This subcabinet will help ensure our Administration works collaboratively across agencies, includes the voices of Minnesotans of all backgrounds, and uses every tool available to tackle climate change head on for our children and generations into the future.”

The Commissioner of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) will serve as the Chair of the Subcabinet. Members include:

• Pollution Control Agency
• Department of Commerce
• Department of Labor and Industry (DLI)
• Department of Management and Budget (MMB)
• Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED)
• Department of Agriculture (MDA)
• Department of Public Safety (DPS)
• Department of Natural Resources (DNR)
• Department of Health (MDH)
• Department of Transportation (MnDOT)
• Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR)
• Department of Administration
• Metropolitan Council
• Environmental Quality Board (EQB)
• Minnesota Housing

“The Climate Change Subcabinet brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to one of the most complicated and urgent challenges we face as a society, and I am excited to be chairing this effort,” said Commissioner Laura Bishop. “Through stronger agency collaboration and coordination, we can work across all sectors of the economy to combat climate change by significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving community resilience.”

Members of the Governor’s Advisory Council on Climate Change will be selected through an open appointments process. Details about the open appointments process can be found here .

The executive order establishing the Subcabinet and Advisory Council is the latest in the Walz-Flanagan Administration’s efforts on climate change. Other actions include:

• Beginning rulemaking for clean car standards that will reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector and give Minnesotans more options for electronic vehicles;
• Pursuing 100% Clean Power legislation that will require utilities to use carbon-free energy sources by 2050;
• Expanding our state’s electric vehicle charging infrastructure to build off the progress begun using the Volkswagen settlement funds;
• Using MPCA’s new phase of the Volkswagen settlement to accelerate the electrification of some of the dirtiest vehicles in the transportation sector, including school buses, and build more than 2,400 new miles of electric vehicle infrastructure, including 90% in Greater Minnesota;
• Expanding the Metro Transit system, reducing Minnesotans’ reliance on single occupancy vehicle travel and electrifying Metro Transit’s bus fleet, and;
• Investing in cutting-edge research to give farmers new opportunities to use cover crops that help capture greenhouse gases while improving land productivity.